The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-06-20

"What man is there of you tb at hath an
hu dred sheep and be shall lore one Ofthem,
doth not eive the nj, ety-nine in the desc /
and go after that which was | st until be
find III and when he sth found it, lay il
upon his shoulder rejoicing: ard cosina
home Q. ii together bis friends and D eighbors
,a,ing to thes,: Rejoice with mo because |
have found MY sheep tina was lostT l say
to you that even so there shall be joy in
heaven upon one SINNER that doth pens nce
more than upon ninety.nine just who need
not penance. st. Luke XIV, l.
The peculiar feature of our Lords
test hing whom on earth consisted in
the frequent use Of parsb es aud SIM
ilitudes, st. Matthew refers to this
in the thirteenth chapter of his Cos.
pei: Gall these things Jesus spoke In
PARALLELS to the multitudes; and with
out parallels he did not speak to
Them" In the age and cnuntry in
which he lived this form of instruc-
lion was employed only by those who
claimed superior wisdom, as our Lord
did when He asserted that Hs was
greater even than Solomon, who was
justly regarded as the wisest man the
world had known. He resorted to
this mode Of teaching pecially when
dealing with the pharisees. This sect,
originating about l60 years before the
Christian era, was, as its name indi-
Gates, very exclusive, and laid special
claims to saDctity, giving great attsn-
tion to the exterior forms of religion,
which rendered them popular with
the multitude until their hypocrisy
was exposed.
Our Lord, who came from heaven
and ASSUMED our nature that He
might r, deem the world, sllo " ed pub
lie sinners, even the vileet, to ap.
preach Him and permitted social in
te'coufse with the QUITO of society.
We see this in the chapter ju read /:
Now the publicsns and sin ers drew
near unto him to hear him." Filled
with the idea { their superior virtue
the Pharisees affected 10 be scaOda.
liked and openly rsprosched our Lord
for thai Charity which they prof sed
but seldom exercised, and they muir.
INJURED saying: chs man receiveth
sinners and ca eth with them"
To conf1uDd ihtir pride and to chow
what true charity really lie, our Lord
spoke three parallels ilus rating the
great love and mercy of God. The
Fl g., that of the lost sheep, the second,
that Of the lost money, and the third,
that OF the prodig son. The Gospel
t the day just read, embraces the
first two of these most consoling
pafabes, From the lime If Adam to
That OF Christ the occupation of a
ehepherd seems to have been regarded
W tn special favor by Almighty God.
Righteous Absl was keeper of sheep.
Jacob the father Of patriarchs
a ored as a 81 epherd for twenty
years 1t was while keeping the
fl cks of Jethro that Moses bsheld the
angel OF the Lo d in the burning bush.
David, the man sitter God's own heart,
was called from the sheepfold to be
King Of Israel. Shepherds in the
field, keeping watch over their flocks
by night, were the fist to hear the an
gelic hosts annouuce the glad tidinRs
of mans r demption. st. John 4, Is.
We are not surprised, therefore, that
our Lord emplo ed the psr-ble Of the
Good Shepherd to te Ach the scribes
and pharlsees an important lesson.
The great principle emb odied in it is
simply this, tina Almighty God has q
special and ever wstct full care for each
individual; that the manner in which
He exercises this ceaseless care is not
= mere general interest in all, but that
He 80 thoroughly concerns himself
with each tiDge soul that
He seems to withdraw Himself
from all the rest Ia order 30 corcen-
trate His solcitude upon one ipdivid.
usl. Bat this one, by virtue of HIS at.
tribu o. as an sll seeing and all know.
ing God. To each one, it is each soul
that is IN need, each soul that is in
error, in word it is each soul he has
created and redeemed. Our Lord be Q
tells OF a shepte d who when one
sheep happens 10 wsndsr off hastens
Sf er It. No particular oheep is men.
toned, whichever one it might be the
al xiety would be the same. TIE
shepherd ia not satisfied that out Of
his Il 'ck OF 100 he has ninetyand nine
in tafsiy, he must seek and restore The
one that is missing. The subject III en-
for our instruction this morning Is the
pecu liar, special love which God and
HIS church has for each human bel q
The very first act of our Creator
towards a soul proves His estimate
of it.
1t is Of faith that He doesInot permit
a single soul to come into existence
accidentally, nor by reason of any
general laws, but that each Is the re-
suit OF sps cisl creative act. Ia the
early history of our race man as q fr, Q
agent preferred evil al forfeited all
that God bad promised and thus
brought The stain of sin upon US all.
Instead ( the happiness Of the Gar
den Of Eden the Ten Con mandmen,s,
given amid the tbuDdels OF Monnt
Sinai, berame necessary to govern the
fallen race. We recognize in these
how God le9isla ed for individual
souls, since each commanom ant ia
proc aimed in the singular number.
" l am the Lord thy God, thou shalt
not have strange u de before me :"